Huge crowds rallied on Friday in front of Albanian government buildings in Tirana, backing calls by the opposition Socialists for a recount of ballots from last year’s elections.
The protest was the latest development in a political crisis that has shaken the former communist nation and brought the workings of government to a virtual standstill since the polls in June last year.
“The time of the resistance has come. This is a great battle and we are determined to pursue whatever sacrifices are demanded from us,” said Socialist leader Edi Rama.
He called on supporters to keep up the protests until the polls results are clarified.
The Socialists also accused the government of plunging the country into an economic crisis.
“This is the final moment,” said Gramoc Ruci, a Socialist deputy speaking to the crowd, which he said numbered up to 100,000 people.
There was no official or independent figure.
The Socialists accuse Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s ruling coalition of manipulating the results of the elections and have boycotted parliament to demand a recount, which the government has refused.
Fatmir Xhasa, a Socialist deputy, told the protestors that 22 lawmakers would launch a hunger strike in front of the seat of government to demand election transparency.
About a dozen tents were set up to accommodate the strikers.
Protesters held placards calling on Berisha to allow a recount. “Berisha, either open the ballot boxes, or leave,” said one such message.
The government, led by Berisha’s Democrats, has dismissed calls for a recount, claiming that such a demand has already been rejected by the justice system.
The Socialists returned to parliament in February after a boycott of several months but still refused to take part in any vote, holding up the workings of government.
“This protest will last for an unlimited period of time,” Rama, who is also the mayor of Tirana, said to reporters before the start of the demonstration.
“We are determined to continue the protests and civil disobedience, to oblige the government either to be transparent in regard to the fraud-marked elections or to leave,” he said.
The protests have angered the government, especially as the rallies came shortly before a special concert organized by the authorities on Labour Day, for “Albanians who have all reasons to celebrate.”
“The country is changing and it goes towards its European dream,” said Integration Minister Majlinda Bregu.
The nearly year-long political deadlock has also undermined the country’s EU ambitions.
Albania submitted its candidacy for EU membership in April last year and had been hoping to obtain the lifting of visa requirements, enabling its citizens to travel throughout the Schengen zone, which covers most EU countries.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was